Department for Communities and Local Government

Department for Communities and Local Government: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of his Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions in the 2017-18 Session to date have referred to the information requested not being (a) collected or (b) collated centrally.

Mr Marcus Jones: In the current parliamentary session the Department answered 58 written parliamentary questions on the grounds that some or all of the information requested was not collected or held centrally. This is out of a total of 1529 written parliamentary questions answered (as of 21 December 2017) or 3.8 per cent.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Social Mobility

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to improve social mobility in each of the last seven years.

Mr Marcus Jones: My Department is driving forward the devolution agenda in England. Across government we are making huge strides towards rebalancing the economy and empowering local government. 33 per cent of England’s population now has a directly elected mayor, with new powers to create jobs, improve skills, build homes and make it easier to travel. Across the whole of England we are devolving over £9 billion between 2015 and 2021 to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) through our Growth Deal programme to spend on their priorities for growth. We have also agreed City and Growth Deals in Scotland and Wales and are in the process of negotiating more, including in Northern Ireland, making sure all parts of the UK benefit from the benefits of devolution.Our place-based Industrial Strategy sets out a bold vision for the future of the UK. We are strengthening the role of LEPs and agreeing new local industrial strategies that build on local strengths and deliver on economic opportunities. We have also committed to replacing EU Structural Funds when we have left the EU, delivering the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will be aimed at reducing inequalities between communities across all four nations.My Department is also fixing the broken housing market, supporting first time buyers to get on to the housing ladder while ensuring the housing market works for all parts of our community, getting more of the right homes get built in the places people want to live. The reforms my Department has announced put us on track to raise housing supply by the end of the current Parliament to its highest annual level since 1970.The Troubled Families Programme commits £920 million from my Department to make sure local services intervene early to support families with multiple problems, including for example those affected by domestic abuse, parental conflict, drug, alcohol or mental health problems and where children are in need of help. This programme makes sure children are in education, parents in work and families have better outcomes and are able to be socially mobile.

Ministry of Justice

County Courts: Judgements

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the trends in the level of county court judgements; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Claims Management Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will set out a timescale for bringing forward legislative proposals on the regulation of claims management companies

Dr Phillip Lee: The Financial Guidance and Claims Bill was introduced in Parliament on 22 June 2017. This Bill enables the transfer of the regulation of claims management companies from the Ministry of Justice to the Financial Conduct Authority.

Ministry of Justice: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of his Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions in the 2017-18 Session to date have referred to the information requested not being (a) collected or (b) collated centrally.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice have answered 103 written parliamentary questions explaining that the requested information was not available on the grounds of it not being collected or held centrally. This is out of a total of 1369 parliamentary questions that have been answered.

Courts: Interpreters

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, since the contract out of services to provide interpreters to all courts what the estimated number of unfulfilled or cancelled cases was in each year in (a) England and Wales and (b) each region.

Dr Phillip Lee: We do not collect the relevant data for all jurisdictions and types of hearings in which interpreters are used. However, information on the number of trials listed in the criminal courts which were adjourned (ineffective) due to interpreter availability was published in Criminal Court Statistics until 2016 and is now available at https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/crown-court-information/. The breakdown for England and Wales is set out below: Crown CourtsMagistrates’ CourtsYearNumber of trialsAdjourned due to interpreter availability% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availabilityNumber of trialsAdjourned due to interpreter availability% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability201238,432340.1%156,6716080.4%201333,669370.1%155,0875910.4%201435,974260.1%158,9845240.3%201539,035230.1%162,6684740.3%201637,339300.1%149,4234950.3%2017*25,451240.1%105,5583190.3%* data to September 2017This can be further broken down by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service region:  Crown CourtsMagistrates’ CourtsYearRegionNumber of trialsAdjourned due to interpreter availability% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availabilityNumber of trialsAdjourned due to interpreter availability% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability2012London10,632160.2%35,4102700.8% Midlands5,42540.1%26,570940.4% North East5,45030.1%22,532590.3% North West5,33430.1%23,909580.2% South East6,65450.1%26,236950.4% South West3,31020.1%13,850180.1% Wales1,82710.1%8,164140.2% 2013London9,151140.2%36,8662590.7% Midlands4,87860.1%25,1701020.4% North East5,06760.1%23,088740.3% North West4,62530.1%21,783400.2% South East5,61450.1%26,834760.3% South West2,71830.1%12,850270.2% Wales1,61600.0%8,496130.2% 2014London9,202110.1%35,7152220.6% Midlands5,15630.1%27,397870.3% North East5,49830.1%22,572650.3% North West5,21910.0%22,747380.2% South East6,39070.1%27,892780.3% South West2,94710.0%14,283280.2% Wales1,56200.0%8,37860.1% 2015London10,16140.0%36,7431750.5% Midlands5,53210.0%27,722780.3% North East5,50430.1%22,697430.2% North West5,44810.0%22,335480.2% South East7,35770.1%29,671870.3% South West3,28660.2%15,303340.2% Wales1,74710.1%8,19790.1% 2016London10,055120.1%34,0742000.6% Midlands5,38940.1%28,295750.3% North East5,44420.0%21,553610.3% North West4,94310.0%20,307520.3% South East6,98680.1%26,173750.3% South West2,80220.1%11,396270.2% Wales1,72010.1%7,62550.1% 2017*London6,59670.1%22,9221340.6% Midlands4,18330.1%19,572410.2% North East4,05640.1%14,747270.2% North West3,39330.1%15,528480.3% South East4,94440.1%18,751350.2% South West2,09330.1%8,504240.3% Wales1,18600.0%5,534100.2%* data to September 2017 The department continues to monitor its language service services contract closely with the suppliers to drive improvements and reduce the cost on the taxpayer.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

New Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 12 December 2017, Official Report, column 166, if he will publish the evidential basis supporting the UK's position as No 4 in the world for being the best place to start a business.

Margot James: According to the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report 2018 the UK is ranked as 4th in the EU for the ease of starting a business and 14th in the world. This is in line with correspondence I have exchanged with the hon. Member for Sefton Central in which I clarified a response I made to this House on 12 December 2017, and I have placed a copy of this correspondence in the Libraries of the House.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Armed Conflict: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

Mark Field: ​In January next year the UK will launch the fourth iteration of its National Action Plan (NAP) on Women Peace and Security (WPS), a high level strategy that guides our cross- Whitehall work on WPS, and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Through practical support, diplomatic action, defence, and development assistance, the UK is contributing to the four pillars of WPS in a number of ways. The government is committed to promoting the participation of women in political processes, for example supporting women's participation in the Syrian, Somalian and Colombian peace processes. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office's first Special Envoy for Gender Equality, Joanna Roper is prioritising girls' education and women's empowerment, ensuring women and girls' fundamental rights are protected. The UK remains committed to improving peacekeeping efforts, to prevent conflict, and to prevent all forms of violence against women and girls if it breaks out; UK Peacekeepers are now given pre-deployment training on gender, and efforts are in place to get more women into peacekeeping missions. The UK's ambition is for gender to be mainstreamed throughout all International relief and recovery efforts, which are designed to meet the specific needs of women and girls. This will be reflected in DfID's upcoming Strategic Vision. The FCO, MOD and DfID, with support from the cross- government Stabilisation Unit, work closely and collaboratively to implement UNSCR 1325, and to deliver the above. The WPS working group also works transparently with civil society and the UK Parliament.

Human Rights

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) promote and (b) support human rights overseas.

Mark Field: As the Foreign Secretary said in his statement on 10 December to commemorate International Human Rights Day, "promoting, championing and defending human rights is integral to the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and part of the everyday work of all British diplomats". As I outlined in a Westminster Hall debate on 20th December to mark International Human Rights Day, the steps taken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to promote and support human rights overseas are extensive and varied. Evidence of the FCO's activity to promote human rights can be seen in the FCO's Annual Human Rights Reports (the most recent of which was published and laid before the House in July 2017). This includes details of steps the FCO has taken to promote and support human rights in the FCO's thirty Human Rights Priority Countries.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.

Mark Field: Tackling the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is a priority for the Foreign Secretary and for me. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will jointly host, along with Defra and DFID, a high level International IWT Conference in London in October 2018. Ahead of this, staff ​across our diplomatic missions overseas and in London are working, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora, to engage countries, NGOs, academia and business to work with us to deliver a step change in the global fight against this threat to endangered species.

Japan: Diplomatic Relations

James Cleverly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of UK diplomatic relations with Japan.

Mark Field: ​UK-Japan bilateral relations are the strongest they have been in years. Japan is one of our closest partners in the region. We are natural partners, with common interests as outward-looking, democratic, free-trading island nations with global reach.During the Prime Minister's visit to Japan in August 2017, she committed to elevating the UK-Japan partnership to a new level. The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Abe agreed to enhance cooperation across three pillars of the bilateral relationship: Security and Defence; Prosperity; and Innovation. The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary met their Japanese counterparts in London on 14 December, as part of regular, proactive engagement with the Japanese government and business, with special emphasis on defence and security issues.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Iran, (b) the United States, (c) Israel, (d) other EU member states and (e) the European External Action Service on continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Boris Johnson: The UK is committed to the Iran nuclear deal. I made this clear when I met Iranian Prime Minister Rouhani, Foreign Minister Zarif, and other interlocutors in Tehran in early December. The Prime Minister and I have made this clear to our US counterparts, and to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. We work closely with the US and our E3/EU partners on Iran.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with members of the United States Congress on potential amendments to that country’s Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act; and if he will make a statement.

Boris Johnson: I have discussed the Iran nuclear deal with members of Congress by phone and during my visit to the US in November, stressing its vital importance for UK and regional security. I will continue to make clear our commitment to the deal to our US counterparts.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the veracity of claims by the President of the United States on 13 October 2017 that Iran has committed multiple violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; and what information his Department holds on the nature of such alleged violations.

Boris Johnson: The UK is committed to the Iran nuclear deal. It is the only diplomatic way to avoid a nuclear armed Iran. The deal is working; Iran is meeting its nuclear commitments, as confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report (13 November).

Iran: Nuclear Power

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with members of the United States Congress on the potential re-imposition of sanctions previously lifted by that country in accordance with the Joint Comprehensive plan of Action; what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the outcome of such discussions; and if he will make a statement.

Boris Johnson: I have spoken with members of Congress by phone and during my visit to the US in November to make clear the UK's support for the Iran nuclear deal. The deal is built upon the balance of strict nuclear commitments and sanctions relief.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of the International Atomic Energy Agency to fulfil its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action within the resources currently available to that agency.

Boris Johnson: The International Atomic Energy Agency has a professional and skilled inspectorate. The Agency's monitoring and verification of the Iran nuclear deal is funded through voluntary contributions by Member States and is sufficient for this task.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Iran Government on the ratification by that country of an Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Boris Johnson: I met Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif in Tehran in early December to reiterate the UK's commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). This includes a commitment by Iran to proceed with ratification of the Additional Protocol.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Government of Iran on ratifying an Additional Protocol to that country’s safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Boris Johnson: ​Under the timeframes detailed in Annex V of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran is not expected to have begun the constitutional process of ratifying the Additional Protocol as yet.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Microplastics

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the microbeads ban to include sunscreen and deodorants.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Microbeads used in rinse-off products end up in the marine environment and damage marine life. The microbead ban will therefore cover the manufacture and sale of all rinse-off personal care products containing microbeads. While some countries have opted to ban only those plastic particles added for exfoliating and cleansing purposes, our objective is to minimise marine microplastic pollution, and therefore our ban covers all microplastic particles in rinse-off personal care products. It is one of the toughest bans in the world. We are aware that microplastics enter the marine environment from other sources, so we have engaged the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (HSAC) to review evidence on microplastics in other products, and their chances of reaching our seas and causing harm to marine life. The microbead consultation also asked for evidence on other sources of marine plastic pollution. We will use these responses and evidence from HSAC to develop future UK action to protect the marine environment.

Washing Machines: Standards

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the regulatory standards for filters in washing machines are; and whether he has any plans to review those standards.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Product standards are usually a matter for BEIS.

Sentencing: Fly-tipping

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to increase the length of sentences for repeat fly-tipping offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to tackling fly-tipping at all levels. The maximum penalty on indictment for fly-tipping is imprisonment of up to five years or a potentially unlimited fine. It is for local authorities to use the full range of powers available to them and ensure they prioritise resources to tackling this issue. We worked with the Sentencing Council to strengthen Guidelines for environmental offences in 2014. We will continue to work with the appropriate people in the court system to ensure sentencing levels act as an effective deterrent.

Reoffenders: Fly-tipping

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the reoffending rate for people convicted of fly-tipping.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Ministry of Justice records details of reoffending, which can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-october-2015-to-december-2015.

Agriculture: Northern Ireland

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the representatives of the Northern Ireland Assembly on soil and water pollution from intensive pig and poultry farms.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: None. This is a devolved matter.

Public Footpaths

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2017 to Question 106302, what funding he plans to allocate to national trails for 2018-19; and how much funding has been allocated to maintain the Pennine Way.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England (NE) has not yet finalised the allocation of funding for national trails for 2018/19. NE has recently written to each of the national trail partnerships making an interim offer of 50 percent of the funding made to each of the national trails in 2017/18. The offer is an advance contribution towards the costs the partnerships would incur in 2018/19 in the absence of NE currently being able to confirm its overall funding position for 2018/19. NE’s interim offer for the Pennine Way in 2018/19 totals £99,626.50.

Food: Waste

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further steps the Government is taking to reduce food waste in UK supermarkets.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which receives funding from Defra, launched the Courtauld Commitment 2025 in March 2016. This is an ambitious voluntary agreement that brings together organisations across the food system. Retailer signatories represent up to 95% of the UK food retail market. It is a ten-year commitment to identify priorities, develop solutions and implement changes at scale, both within signatory organisations and by spreading new best practice across the UK. The commitment goes further than ever before with ambitious industry targets to be reached by 2025. One of these is a 20% per capita reduction in food and drink waste in the UK. On 21st December the Secretary of State announced that we will set up a new fund through the WRAP to ensure charities get additional resources to help redistribute food to those who need it rather than letting it go to waste. WRAP will make £0.5 million available to charities and other organisations. The new Food Waste Reduction Fund will provide grants to finance specific projects: fridges or vehicles, IT systems and software, or for training staff and volunteers about food safety skills.